Loving These People

This has been a great week! Our weeks are beginning to fly by and it is crazy to think it is almost November! This week was filled with Pepe preschool ministry, spending time with our friends that are quickly becoming family, and learning the language.
Our daily ministry at Pepe this week was very good. Although we mostly just help out where we can, as the language becomes easier and our relationship with the kids are growing, spending time with them becomes more enjoyable and easy. They are sweet (most of the time) and being there for them in the morning is a sweet ministry.
Some of the sweetest parts of the week for me are spending time with the friends we have here in Cape Verde. Most of them are currently from the church, but spending time with them and getting to know them allows us to be more at home here. One of the best ways we spend time with our friends is worship practice on Friday nights and this week we had practice on Saturday as well. I look forward to this time because we grow closer to the people in the church each week at practice and learn more Portuguese/Creole from the songs we sing. I have enjoyed being part of the worship team at our church in Sao Filipe as we learn new songs each week, some of which we know in English and some we do not, but each week we make a stronger relationship with members of the church that are key parts in the church ministry. Learning and practicing the songs also has helped us pick up more of the language in an easy yet effective way. I also, of course, just love to sing and think singing is fun in another language.
Language has really been coming along. Although my speaking is not great, I am beginning to understand at least pieces of what is being said. A prayer request here would be that when we are in situations to listen to Creole or Portuguese that we would really listen and stay focused because that is a hard task sometimes. We currently have Creole class two times a week on Tuesday and Friday but honestly being in situations where people are speaking Creole around my team and I helps us learn I think as well as class. Learning the language has been a challenge but I have really enjoyed it especially since communicating is becoming easier and easier each week.
In the upcoming week my team and I will be involved in teaching some English and PE classes in Pepe a couple days a week. This will be a new challenge, but I know we just need to pray, prepare, and do our best. We will also be involved in teaching English at the "eschola di vida" (school of life) in zone 4 of Praia. I am excited for this but at the same time do not feel quite ready. I know there will be new challenges this week, but they are simply things that my team and I will need to trust the Lord with daily. (which is easier said than done)

Prayer Requests:
- preparing for our teaching responsibilities
- staying focused on ministry here
- taking every opportunity

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